Reference no: EM133211242
Assignment - Disaster or Traumatic Event Discussion
Instructions - Please reply to the two posts below separately. 150 words each and 1 scholarly source each within the last 5 years (2017-2022).
Post 1 - The topic I chose was coping with a disaster or traumatic event. As the world continues battling with the negative effects of the COVID 19 pandemic, people are suffering in silence due to the loss of jobs and the sudden deaths of their loved ones. According to the National Center for PTSD, about twelve million Americans develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during a given year (Ptsd.va.gov, 2022). Therefore, I chose the emergency CDC website because it contains critical information on PTSD response strategies that can help people take care of their emotional health, family, and their loved ones.
Coping up with a disaster is not an easy ordeal but it depends on the level of preparedness and emotional control of your stress, anxiety, and grief. I wanted people to know that the way we manage our emotional health has a greater impact on the decisions we take during disasters. It is important for parents to act as role models to their children by providing support even during emergencies. Children exhibit diverse emotional responses during emergencies depending on either previous experience in the disaster, age, or their biological response capability. However, they tend to behave just like their caregivers and therefore parents should show optimism and give strength to their children during emergencies (CDC, 2018).
The information on emergency responders and taking care of myself had the greatest impact on me. This is because an emergency responder is always engulfed in difficult dilemmas and life-threatening decisions. Watching helpless human suffering is costly, distressful, and a risky decision is always the ultimate solution. However, it is possible to be safe in such a devastating situation. Better preparation before the emergency and protocol observation is the contingent solution. Early planning in disaster management reduces anxiety, stress, and fatigue that prevent mental disorders. Respondents easily find themselves in stress dilemmas and coping with traumatic disorders is trickery.
Post 2 - For this week's discussion post I chose the "International Critical Incident Stress Foundation" website because the word "stress" stood out to me. Believe it or not first responders and emergency personnel do go through many stressful moments, and at times most individuals going through stress do not know how to properly manage their stress.
The co-founders of the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation, Dr. Jeffery Mitchell, Ph.D., CCISM, and Dr. George Everly, Ph.D., CCISM have been providing peer support training for over 30 years (Resources. ICISF 2022). You can either be a member or an instructor and learn how to help other individuals during tough situations they may be trying to overcome. By receiving the proper training with them, you will be certified to help others.
The information that had the greatest impact on me was that Critical Incident Stress Management is a method of helping emergency personnel or first responders who have been involved in crucial situations which cause them to be emotionally or physically affected. In my opinion, this is a great idea because if one is physically or emotionally affected, that individual would not be able to give their all when it comes to saving lives.